When Google Docs came out, I didn't see how I would use it, but now it makes perfect sense. It's great for agents and even better for their buyers, because their buyers can go directly to my site without having to bug their agent. My sellers like it, too.

Liz: You look at the left-hand menu. It starts out with Home and the last link is "short sale listing status." Just click on that.

Hmmm . . . to answer a few questions.

It probably doesn't reduce the phone calls so much, but it does reduce the amount of time I spend on the phone. Now, even if I know the answer, I just tell buyer's agents to go to my website to look up the property in question. It also means it's OK not to memorize all this data. I get a lot of calls from agents demanding information on my active short contingents which, quite frankly, is none of their business. I also don't have time to share details. So I send those callers to my website.

As for privacy laws, I'm not detailing any personal information or naming the buyers. Although, when one buyer's deposit check was returned because the account was closed, I did note that we would take back-up offers while waiting for the buyer to deposit certified funds. But I did not name the buyer. The only people who knew the buyer's identity were those involved in the transaction.

On another, a buyer canceled because the HOA does not allow large dogs. That's an important factor to convey so potential buyers know of this HOA regulation and so they aren't thinking there was something wrong with the home that caused the cancellation.

Mostly, I post whether a BPO was performed, the date a negotiator was assigned, whether we're in Phase 2 or review, which helps all parties stay abreast of the progress.

Richard: Yeah, the important stuff. Wait until you try the seafood and shrimp Fancy Feast. It actually has little bay shrimp in it. OK, maybe it's a fake molded product, but it sure looks like shrimp. Brandon loves it.

Karen: You simply copy the html and paste it into your page. I use Agent Achieve, which lets me set up a free page, and I paste the code into it, with the setting to open within the site, not a new window. Then, when you go to Google Docs and make a change, it automatically is reflected on your site.

Perhaps you could use it to make a chart in Excel of market activity in your area -- the solds, pendings and active listings?

Dora: It would be nice if we had room in our MLS for more confidential agent comments, but the space is severely limited. After i get through talking about how the offer and compensation is subject to lender approval, how compensation will be split equally and suggesting that agents read my attached PDF, I'm out of room. And "active contingent" status is complicated enough. I don't call agents on those listings, but other agents call me every day.

They want to know if the buyers are solid, how many offers I've received, who are the banks, whether I've submitted an offer to the bank, how long it has been in escrow, whether they can submit an offer, how high their offer has to be, whether I think the short sale will be approved, how long will they have to wait for approval -- the questions go on and on and on. Now I can say: Go to my website and look it up.